Strangers on a Train
by Aleia15
Summary: Kakashi hates crowded trains, but this time maybe it's a good thing he's on one. Remixed from 80X18' Five Minutes


**Strangers on a Train (the Five Minutes Remix) **

Kakashi looked at the time and sighed, annoyed.

The Express Train was late, and so would he be. Not that he was ever on time, but this time he had actually intended to, just for the shock value it would have on his students. They were getting lazy, and that was something Kakashi wasn't going to allow in his classes. The only person who could arrive late was Kakashi himself, after all.

Well, it was not to be, apparently. Maybe the universe was conspiring to get him lost on the road of life when he wasn't willing to do it himself.

He moved to the Rapid Train platform when the tinny voice on the speakers announced the cancellation of his, trying to avoid being crushed in the sudden surge of bodies moving in the same direction.

God, but he hated crowded places.

He was considering the merits of just letting the train pass and catch the next Express, when it arrived at the platform. All his considerations were moot by that point; he was pushed unceremoniously inside the carriage by a swarm of people with a better sense of punctuality than his. He moved with them, trying to find a hold overhead so he wouldn't fall when the train started to move.

Usually, he'd just get out his book and spend a pleasant ride getting immersed in the worlds created by Jiraya-sensei. Today, though, the sheer amount of people surrounding him made it impossible to get his book out.

It was going to be a long, uncomfortable ride.

Not far from where he was standing, in what looked like a slightly less crowded bit of the carriage, a man took a book out and started reading. Kakashi stared longingly at him, thinking of his own book safely tucked inside his pocket.

He took a minute to study the man, since he couldn't enjoy his favourite pastime.

The man was young, a couple of years younger than Kakashi maybe, and a couple inches shorter. From what Kakashi could see of him, he was solidly built, but not stocky, the muscles of his arms and chest clearly defined under his shirt. The man had tanned skin and brown long hair, tied at the nape of his neck on a tight ponytail. Kakashi could only see his profile, but the face appeared to be attractive enough: big brown eyes focused on the book, a finely defined jaw line and plush lips. There was a cute mark, maybe a scar, over the bridge of his nose. He was holding tightly to the pole in front of him with one hand, the other keeping the book steady in front of his eyes.

Well, since he obviously couldn't read, Kakashi decided to watch the man. He was cute enough for that.

Kakashi noticed when the man started fidgeting uncomfortably, trying to put more space between himself and the people at his back. There was a very persistent fellow commuter, a young guy with a bandana, drawing closer to the man. He was eyeing the reader with an intensity that telegraphed his intent clearly.

Kakashi watched the scene with interest. Maybe the ride wouldn't be so boring after all.

The reader tried to focus on the book, ignoring the other man until he was called out loud.

"Hey."

"Yes?" the reader replied, the reluctance in his tone almost palpable. Kakashi wondered why he didn't just ignore the other man, but there were people with manners so ingrained, that they couldn't be rude.

Kakashi was glad not to be one of them.

"You're very pretty."

Kakashi had to bite his lips not to laugh at the expression on the reader's face. He flushed deep red, his tanned skin turning into an endearing scarlet. Then his face set into a fearsome scowl, brows drawn together tightly and mouth turned down at the corners. His entire body had tensed, ready to bolt or attack. Something told Kakashi it would be more likely the latter.

The low growl he could hear coming from the reader's throat confirmed that impression. "Than you, but I'm not a girl," he retorted curtly, not that there was anything feminine in the man. One would need to be blind or insane to mistake him for a woman. The reader turned his attention to his book, clearly ending the conversation.

If only the man with the bandana would be so kind to oblige, which clearly he wasn't. He leered at the reader, approaching him even more, one of his hands disappearing from sight. "I know," he said in a low whisper, and Kakashi was grateful for his sharp hearing, as he doubted most people would have heard that.

The reader clearly had, his eyes widening in shock, his grip on the book slackening and letting it fall to the floor. He turned, outrage and embarrassment etched on his features, and tried to hit the man, something quite hard in such a cramped space.

And that was all Kakashi could stomach. It was one thing to watch a man being embarrassed by unwanted advances, especially if the man looked as if he could handle himself. It was another thing entirely to do nothing while a person was being molested in front of his eyes.

He took a step forward, pushing an elegantly dressed woman out of the way and gripping the roaming hand tightly. He knew he didn't look it, but Kakashi was strong, and that combined with his height and the scar on his face and his odd mismatched eyes, were usually enough for anyone to back off.

"It's none of my business, but I think you should keep your hands to yourself," Kakashi said in his coldest voice, the one he reserved for unruly students and interfering colleagues. He tightened his grip until the man yelped in case he had failed to make his point.

"Ouch, not so hard! I get it, right, sorry, I'm sorry!"

Kakashi ignored him and kept squeezing, his gaze fixed on that of the reader, who was staring at him with gratitude. He remembered the book on the floor then and released the wandering hand to pick it up. The reader had apparently noticed at the same time, and their hands touched for an instant, before the other man removed his. Kakashi straightened up with the book in his hand and offered it to him.

"Thank you," the reader mumbled, and this close Kakashi could see that the pervert had been right. He _was pretty_. Not that it excused that kind of behaviour, but the reader was really, really pretty.

"Are you all right?" Kakashi asked, because the man still looked about to collapse from shame, and his blush had not abated a bit. It might be even deeper, since the people surrounding them appeared to have finally noticed the altercation and were looking with interest.

He nodded, his mouth opened as if to speak but no words coming out. And Kakashi wanted to say something, put him at ease somehow, because suddenly he was very glad that his train had been cancelled, and that the train had been crowded enough for him to be unable to read.

The doors opened at that moment and the reader turned with a last humiliated look, and left the carriage before Kakashi could ask his name.

"Damn, you nearly broke my hand." Kakashi heard the pervert complaining, "Are you satisfied?"

Kakashi watched at the reader's figure disappeared among the crowd, and got his book out of pocket now the carriage was a bit emptier. He noted the time and compared it with the mental timetables of this line stored in his mind, and smiled.

He turned with a last cold look at the pervert, and stared into his eyes until he cowed visibly.

"Not yet," Kakashi said. Maybe, if he caught that same train, he would be able to meet the reader again.

And he wouldn't let him go without asking his name.

…


End file.
